The transport of materials within a pipeline, either in the form of a slurry as in a liquid transportation system, or moved by pressurized air as in a gaseous conveying system, is a particularly useful and safe method of moving coal and other minerals in underground mines. Each of these methods of solids transfer has certain advantages so that the preferred method depends on the particular situation. Over a long, horizontal distance liquid transportation is favored. However, for a short distance where mobility of equipment is required, as for example following the pattern of a mining machine as it advances in a coal seam, a gaseous conveying system is preferred. Since each method of material transfer has its advantages, both are often used together. It is therefore necessary to accomplish transfer of the transport of materials from a gaseous conveying system to a liquid transport system.
To be effective, the transfer link between the gaseous and liquid conveying systems should simply and efficiently pass the materials between the two mediums in a singular piece of machinery. Currently, this transfer cannot be accomplished in one apparatus. Also, present transfer means are grossly inefficient. The most common transfer method is to catch particles from the air stream and then drop them into the flowing liquid. A major waste in this method and other contemporary devices is that most of the kinetic energy of the particles conveyed in the gaseous conveying medium is lost during the transfer to a liquid medium. We have developed a process and apparatus that overcomes these disadvantages. This invention simply and efficiently transfers conveyed materials from a gaseous conveying system to a liquid transport system within the confines of a singular piece of equipment. Also, the energy loss of the conveyed particles is minimized in the present system.